Infinite conformal symmetry in two-dimensional quantum field theory

We present an investigation of the massless, two-dimentional, interacting field theories. Their basic property is their invariance under an infinite-dimensional group of conformal (analytic) transformations. It is shown that the local fields forming the operator algebra can be classified according to the irreducible representations of Virasoro algebra, and that the correlation functions are built up of the “conformal blocks” which are completely determined by the conformal invariance. Exactly solvable conformal theories associated with the degenerate representations are analyzed. In these theories the anomalous dimensions are known exactly and the correlation functions satisfy the systems of linear differential equations.     

Axiomatic Conformal Field Theory

A new rigourous approach to conformal field theory is presented. The basic objects are families of complex-valued amplitudes, which define a meromorphic conformal field theory (or chiral algebra) and which lead naturally to the definition of topological vector spaces, between which vertex operators act as continuous operators. In fact, in order to develop the theory, M?bius invariance rather than full conformal invariance is required but it is shown that every M?bius theory can be extended to a conformal theory by the construction of a Virasoro field. In this approach, a representation of a conformal field theory is naturally defined in terms of a family of amplitudes with appropriate analytic properties. It is shown that these amplitudes can also be derived from a suitable collection of states in the meromorphic theory. Zhu's algebra then appears naturally as the algebra of conditions which states defining highest weight representations must satisfy. The relationship of the representations of Zhu's algebra to the classification of highest weight representations is explained. Received: 22 October 1998 / Accepted: 16 July 1999     

Maxwell equations in conformal invariant electrodynamics

We consider a conformal invariant formulation of quantum electrodynamics. Conformal invariance is achieved with a specific mathematical construction based on the indecomposable representations of the conformal group associated with the electromagnetic potential and current. As a corollary of this construction modified expressions for the 3-point Green functions are obtained which both contain transverse parts. They make it possible to formulate a conformal invariant skeleton perturbation theory. It is also shown that the Euclidean Maxwell equations in conformal electrodynamics are manifestations of its kinematical structure: in the case of the 3-point Green functions these equations follow (up to constants) from the conformal invariance while in the case of higher Green functions they are equivalent to the equality of the kernels of the partial wave expansions. This is the manifestation of the mathematical fact of a (partial) equivalence of the representations associated with the potential, current and the field tensor.     

Representations of conformal supersymmetry

The superalgebras of (generalized) conformal supersymmetry have some very interesting unitarizable representations that contain only massless representations of the conformal subalgebra, in spite of contrary claims that have recently been made , .

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Tensor representations of conformal algebra and conformally covariant operator product expansion

A conformally covariant formulation of operator product expansion is discussed as an expansion of the product of two representations into a direct sum of irreducible representations. The basic irreducible representations are analyzed and classified. The isomorphism between the conformal algebra and the O(4, 2) algebra is used to obtain a manifestly covariant formalism. The implications of the isomorphism in the derivation of the representations is discussed. The covariant O(4, 2) formalism directly relates dominant terms to nondominant terms in the light-cone limit. The essential coincidence of the problem of a conformal covariant operator product expansion to the problem of determining the form of the three-point function is stressed, together with the relevance of a selection rule for two-point functions following from exact (not spontaneously broken) conformal covariance. The role of Ward identities in a conformal covariant scheme is pointed out, and the mathematical implications on the n-point functions from causality are described.     

On conformal invariance in quantum field theory

We study the transformation law of interacting fields under the universal convering group of the conformal group. It is defined with respect to the representations of the discrete series. These representations are field representations in the sense that they act on finite component fields defined over Minkowski space. The conflict with Einstein causality is avoided as in the case of free fields with canonical dimension. Furthermore, we determine the conformal invariant two-point function of arbitrary spin. Our result coincides with that obtained by Rühl. In particular, we investigate the two-point function of symmetric and traceless tensor fields and give the explicit form of the trace terms.     

Conformal invariance of quantum fields in two-dimensional space-time

Our investigations of conformal invariance are based on the theory of analytic representations of the conformal group and its universal covering group. With its help the action of the conformal group on free massless fields, Greenberg fields, Wick products of these fields, and the Thirring fields is studied. In this context we find an infinite set of new operator solutions for the Thirring model that are all equivalent to each other. Explicit constructions of the nonlocal special conformal transformations of all these fields are given.     

On unitary implementability of conformal transformations

We show that the only projective representations of the conformal group in a Hilbert space which, when restricted to the Poincaré subgroup, are unitary irreducible of mass zero and discrete helicity, are the usual unitary representations of SU(2, 2) often called ladder representations. Some physical consequences are also discussed.     

On bosonization of 2d conformal field theories

We show how bosonic (free field) representations for so-called degenerate conformal theories are built by singular vectors in Verma modules. Based on this construction, general expressions of conformal blocks are proposed. As an example, we describe new modules for the SL(2) Wess-Zumino-Witten model. They are, in fact, the simplest nontrivial modules in a full set of bosonized highest weight representations of the ŝl₂ algebra. The Verma and Wakimoto modules appear as boundary modules of this set. Our construction also yields a new kind of bosonization in 2d conformal field theories.     

Representing functionally the two-dimensional conformal group

Projective representations of the two-dimensional conformal group are explicitly constructed in terms of propagation kernels. The representation functionals are then used to study the effect of conformal transformations on the states of a free massless scalar field theory.     

On the structure of unitary conformal field theory II: Representation theoretic approach

Two-dimensional, unitary rational conformal field theory is studied from the point of view of the representation theory of chiral algebras. Chiral algebras are equipped with a family of co-multiplications which serve to define tensor product representations. Chiral vertices arise as Clebsch-Gordan operators from tensor product representations to irreducible subrepresentations of a chiral algebra. The algebra of chiral vertices is studied and shown to give rise to representations of the braid groups determined by Yang-Baxter (braid) matrices. Chiral fusion is analyzed. It is shown that the braid- and fusion matrices determine invariants of knots and links. Connections between the representation theories of chiral algebras and of quantum groups are sketched. Finally, it is shown how the local fields of a conformal field theory can be reconstructed from the chiral vertices of two chiral algebras.     

Deformations of complex structures and representations of Krichever-Novikov algebras

By applying the conformal Ward identities we study the representations of the Krichever-Novikov algebras associated to conformal field theories on compact Riemann surfaces. We compute the matrix elements between primary states of the KN generators corresponding to deformations of the complex structure. We show that these matrix elements depend on the derivatives of the partition function with respect to the moduli. The effects of this dependence on the highest weight representations is discussed.     

Functional representations of conformally invariant free fields

Free fields in two-dimensional space-time are considered from the point of view of representation theory. Unitary representations of the conformal group are constructed in the representation space of equal-time commutation relations. The compatibility of the global conformal transformations with locality is discussed.     

Singular vectors in logarithmic conformal field theories

Null vectors are generalized to the case of indecomposable representations which are one of the main features of logarithmic conformal field theories. This is done by developing a compact formalism with the particular advantage that the stress energy tensor acting on Jordan cells of primary fields and their logarithmic partners can still be represented in form of linear differential operators. Since the existence of singular vectors is subject to much stronger constraints than in regular conformal field theory, they also provide a powerful tool for the classification of logarithmic conformal field theories.     

Group-Theoretical Approach to Extended Conformal Supersymmetry: Function Space Realizations and Invariant Differential Operators

We give function space realizations of all representations of the conformal superalgebra su(2,2/N) and of the supergroup SU(2, 2 /N) induced from irreducible finite-dimensional Lorentz and SU(N) representations realized without spin and isospin indices. We use the lowest weight module structure of our su(2,2/N) representations to present a general procedure (adapted from the semisimple Lie algebra case) for the canonical construction of invariant differential operators closely related to the reducible (indecomposable) representations. All conformal supercovariant derivatives are obtained in this way. Examples of higher order invariant differential operators are given.     

Unitary massless representations of conformal superalgebras

Massless unitary irreducible representations of the conformal superalgebras SU(2, 2/N) are shown to be atypical representations. The existence of such representations appears restricted to N⩽4 if the spin condition s⩽2 is imposed on the states.     

Vacuum Radiation and Symmetry Breaking in Conformally Invariant Quantum Field Theory

The underlying reasons for the difficulty of unitarily implementing the whole conformal group SO(4,2) in a massless Quantum Field Theory (QFT) on Minkowski space are investigated in this paper. Firstly, we demonstrate that the singular action of the subgroup of special conformal transformations (SCT), on the standard Minkowski space $M$, cannot be primarily associated with the vacuum radiation problems, the reason being more profound and related to the dynamical breakdown of part of the conformal symmetry (the SCT subgroup, to be more precise) when representations of null mass are selected inside the representations of the whole conformal group. Then we show how the vacuum of the massless QFT radiates under the action of SCT (usually interpreted as transitions to a uniformly accelerated frame) and we calculate exactly the spectrum of the outgoing particles, which proves to be a generalization of the Planckian one, this recovered as a given limit. Received: 17 September 1997 / Accepted: 7 July 1998     

Conformally invariant equations of the quantum field theory

The equations invariant under the transformation of the conformal algebra are obtained using the Casimir operators. The connections among the components of the field are explicitly derived in the case of indecomposable representations of the conformal algebra which give rise to e.g. the Maxwell equations with currents. The free field equations are also incorporated in the conformally covariant scheme.     

The classifying algebra for defects

We demonstrate that topological defects in a rational conformal field theory can be described by a classifying algebra for defects – a finite-dimensional semisimple unital commutative associative algebra whose irreducible representations give the defect transmission coefficients. We show in particular that the structure constants of the classifying algebra are traces of operators on spaces of conformal blocks and that the defect transmission coefficients determine the defect partition functions.